


What are Clubs for?

by DoughnutLover



Series: Hardly Consistent [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: And Garmadon, Cole keeps an eye on him, F/M, Kai is a bonehead, Lloyd Garmadon Needs a Hug, Lloyd has some, M/M, Miasko is just mentioned, Nya adopted Lloyd, Nya and Jay being wholesome, Probably not just a one shot, So is Wu, Yes she actually argued with Misako about that, alcohol mentioned, he hates it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28912539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoughnutLover/pseuds/DoughnutLover
Summary: Lloyd gets dragged to a club on his 21st birthday. Sure, he doesn't expect to have a good night, but for once fate's surprises for him aren't all that bad. Moreover, Kai is no longer allowed to go to clubs, as decreed by Cole.
Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon/Original Male Character(s), Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Hardly Consistent [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106372
Kudos: 14





	What are Clubs for?

Most people get excited about turning 21. They would party, drink with their friends, do generally stupid things. Lloyd Garmadon, oh quite the contrary. Not for a single moment in several years did he look forward to his twenty-first birthday. Especially after all the paperwork that he got swamped in when he went from ten to sixteen, the Mayor herself guiding him through the legal hell that was magic in Ninjago. 

So the day came. He was 21. Legally an independent adult. Legally allowed to be dragged to a club at eleven-pm by Kai and Cole because: “You haven’t dated in two years! It’s time to get back out there, and what better way to meet women than going to a club on your twenty-first birthday!” Never mind the small, itsy, micro-fact that the last time he tried dating she, in this order: 

Lied the whole time  
Manipulated him  
Tried to kill him  
Almost killed everyone he loved  
Brought his dad back from the dead as evil-incarnate  
Came within an inch of killing him on multiple occasions. 

After all that it was thoroughly safe to say Lloyd was one-hundred percent done with romance. 

With that in mind, how in the many hells did he end up at a club? Oh. That’s right. Kai begged and begged and begged him until Lloyd gave in and went with the fire elemental, his earth friend, and even Zap-trap and Nya. The last two just wanted to watch after Lloyd, seeing as, in Nya’s own words, “I don’t care what Misako says, I raised this demon, no way am I letting him get kidnapped by some sleazebag.” It sounds snarky, but Lloyd was genuinely touched by the sentiment, as that was Nya’s way of saying ‘I adopted him and if anyone hurts my son, I hurt them.’ 

And there he was. Standing in line for a club. Every one of his found-family there but Zane and Pixal, both of whom were above this whole scene. Lloyd was very openly jealous of them. After all, he would love to be at home, in nothing but sweatpants and goofy socks, eating candy and watching old sci-fi shows. But nope, instead, Lloyd was at a club, apparently set on a mission to date a woman. 

“We’re in, guys! Dareth vouched for us.” Kai announced happily, and as much as Lloyd loved Dareth, he wished that the brown ninja would’ve just vanished for a few hours. That way the nervous blonde could retire to his bed, wherefore he would consume sugary-sweets and doth sleep for nye on a week. Pfft. Fluffy words, fluffy dreams. 

“I’mma start at the dance floor! Good luck Lloyd!” Kai was off about as soon as anyone expected. Cole followed him, groaning about making sure Kai didn’t do something reckless. Again. Yes, he’s been banned from clubs, yes it was for rioting, and yes, he is a party-hungry bone-head. 

“Hey Lloyd, we’re just gonna get a booth and have some drinks. How about you join us?” Jay invited, Nya gesturing to an empty booth across the room. Seeing as it was that, or the swarm of dancing drunkards, Lloyd opted for the booth. 

All in all, they had a peaceful evening. Nya and Jay only had a few light drinks, while Lloyd decided that one shot of hard liquor was more than enough to turn him off of ending his sobriety. No amount of escapism was worth the bitter grand-slam on his tongue that was the drink he ordered. Nope. Never again. 

Opposite Lloyd’s deep regret of ever tasting vodka, Nya and Jay were a little bit concerned. Three women had come to flirt with Lloyd. Who wouldn’t, in all honesty. Several times savior of the land, plus he’s well known as a sweetheart, and though he’s very much on the shorter side, Lloyd was still fairly handsome. Yet he turned down all their advances. 

“Hey Lloyd…” sure, Nya didn’t really like the idea of Lloyd going off with some stranger for the night, but still, three beautiful women practically throwing themselves at him, and Lloyd didn’t so much as blush their way? That was reason for concern. “Can I ask you a tough question?” all she got was a silent nod, emerald eyes full of nothing but sheer boredom. 

“Are you… well, are you still hurt from the last girl? What I mean is, you’ve turned down anyone who offered their number, and I’m just concerned you might not be ok with being here, doing this.” even Jay knew his girlfriend was struggling to find the right words, though Lloyd seemed to understand what she was trying to convey anyway. 

“No, it’s not that. I mean, I’m not comfortable being here, but it's just, I don’t want another fling. Or some girl who only wants ‘The Green Ninja’ or ‘The Cute Blonde.’ I want someone who wants… as cheesy as it is, I want someone who wants ‘Lloyd.’”   
It was all Nya could do, sighing in relief. The last thing she or any of them wanted was for Lloyd to still be hurting from what had happened with the last girl. Of course as good comforting goes, Jay went ahead and gave Lloyd the whole ‘It's ok to wait for’ speech. Almost as soon as Jay had finished, Lloyd took initiative and went to get them some more drinks. After the last drink, he’d be getting a soda, and also an escape from the romance talk. 

Lloyd took a seat at the counter, waiting while the bartender dealt with some other, apparently very angry customers. Slow music was playing in the back, the sounds of glasses clattering every which way still filling the whole club. For just a moment, Lloyd felt a bit relaxed. Until someone started talking to him. A young man, probably not that much older than Lloyd himself, simply making small talk. 

“Oh hey, you’re the Green Ninja, right? What was it, Floyd?” that struck Lloyd a bit. Most people usually cut right to the asking for his number bit, disguising it as ‘needing protection’ or ‘paying back our savior.’ This guy's approach, at the very least, seemed new. 

“Close. Lloyd, not Floyd.” he feigned excitement, very, very disinterested in whatever this guy wanted. 

“Oh, sorry. Well, uhm, my name’s Kasey-” 

“And is this where you ask for my number? I’m sorry, but it just isn’t the right night for this, and I’m really not interested-” 

“I don’t want your number.” that stopped the green-master dead in his tracks. Usually when people talked to him they wanted his number for something, Whether it was salacious, or just to say they knew someone famous, people always had an ulterior motive and they usually laid it out immediately. This guy was beating around the bush, and something about that captivated Lloyd. “Honestly, I was just bored and making small talk. My dad made me come here for a late birthday party, and I really just wanted an excuse to get out. Like, hey, dad, I tried flirting with The Green Ninja, he said no, sorry, guess no one wants me like I said, let's go now!” 

“Oh- wow! Hey, I’m here for that too! My friend, Kai, you probably know him. Anyway, he seems convinced that I need a relationship. I’m good without that.” for the first time in a very long time, Lloyd could say he wasn’t bothered by a stranger making small talk. 

“Oh it's the most annoying thing ever. All my family seems to think that I should be dating, but romance just isn’t my thing right now.” Kasey gave a dejected shrug, leaning against his forearms. “Besides, between you and me, the last guy I dated was a total jerk.” 

“Pfft, Join the club, Kasey.” 

“Right! Like, geez what’s with exes and being scumbags? I should show you what he was texting me yesterday, and keep in mind, we haven’t dated for over two years!” the blue-eyed man pulled his phone from a pocket, unlocking it and clicking on a contact labeled ‘Donkey-Butt.” That name on its own made Lloyd snort, let alone what the guy was saying. 

“Wait, he really said ‘Swiggity Swooty I love you cutie?’ HA!” 

“Yea! He was such a flirt, always saying stupid things like that. Of course, then I caught him saying that to girls, and you’ll never believe what he told me.” on Lloyds provocation, Kasey continued, “He said, quote, ‘chill out, we were just experimenting. Wait like a few months so I can see if I really like men or not.’” 

“What a jerk!” Lloyds jaw had dropped, Kasey just shaking his head with a sigh. “That’s such a horrible thing to say! Honestly, man, you deserve way better than a guy like that.” Kasey laughed a bit, raising his empty glass to that. It only made sense for Lloyd to laugh at that, after all, situational humor is the best, in his humble opinion. 

“Hey so, I’ve never actually done this before… but you seem like a really fun guy, what do you say we ditch this place and go somewhere more fun?” 

“Oh? What did you have in mind?” 

“I know the perfect place to go at this hour. It’s just a few blocks away.” 

“Hmm… mysterious. Well, you got me, I’m in!” 

XXX

Ninjago City is a massive maze of all sorts of attractions. Malls, odd stores, monuments, and parks fill its bustling streets. They say for every couple in the town, there’s a spot to go and have some form of a good night. Romantic bridges, somber mini-forests, stunning high-rise views, exciting games. Of all these many places, where is it that Lloyd had decided to take Kasey? Well, to none other than Laughy’s. Since it was a Wednesday Dareth was having a Family Buffet night. As per usual there weren’t many people except for Dareth and two small families. 

As always Dareth greeted Lloyd with a cheer and a hug, something Lloyd only let a few people do. Of course, Dareth got that privilege because he always acted like a weird uncle, giving Lloyd helpful advice, listening (sort-of) when no one else would. As much as it didn’t seem like it, Lloyd really enjoyed having him around, yes, even when the former Grand Sensei was making a fool of himself. 

“Isn’t that the guy who-” 

“With the viral video, yeah. And don’t bring it up, Dareth thinks everyone loves him and I don’t have the heart to tell him the truth.” Lloyd whispered that last part, both men snickering a bit at the idea of it. 

“He seems really nice, though. How did you meet him?” 

“Back after the whole Great Devourer fiasco our home was destroyed and Dareth let us use his dojo. At first we could hardly stand the guy, but then one day I got really frustrated with trying to learn Zane’s power. After I stormed off, Dareth found me. He let me rant, and unlike everyone else with the whole savior speech thing, he just bought me some ice cream and watched a silly movie.” Kasey had started smiling at the story, brushing at his brown hair a bit, he let out a gentle chuckle. 

“That’s too cute. Truth be told, that reminds me of my dad. He always does things like that, though usually with sweets he bakes himself.” now Lloyd was smiling, remembering all the times Dareth had been something resembling nice, granted in his own goofy way. He’d never really dwelt on how much the guy seemed to have been a help. 

For a short while after that, the two just talked. Swapping small stories about crazy things the people in their lives had gotten up to. Kacey recounted the time his dad and sister fought off a bear, which as it turned out was just a guy in a bear costume. All in all, they seemed to be bonding in a way Lloyd had never really done. Sure, he had gotten close to the other ninja, but they had never had a night like this. Just eating food and talking about silly stories. 

For a precious few moments, Lloyd managed to escape his own reputation and enjoy being normal with someone. He hadn’t known how much he liked feeling average until Kasey asked what Lloyd would be doing if he wasn’t a ninja. For such a simple question, it completely stumped the blonde. 

“Well, I really don’t know.” Lloyd shrugged a bit, though Kasey wasn’t having that. Playfully, he pressed on. 

“Aw c’mon! Surely you have some idea what you’d do other than fighting. You could be a doctor, or a fisherman, ouu, maybe an accountant!” Lloyd snorted at the brunette, shaking his head slowly, bearing a smirk. 

“Those are all horrible ideas! I mean, fishing sounds horrible. And the smell… no way.” 

“Well, then you think of something! Of all the things in the world, what would you want to be?” It took a few minutes, but an idea did form in Lloyd’s mind. He hadn’t thought of it in years. Actually, Lloyd hadn't really considered it since Darkley’s. 

“Ok, ok. I think I’d like to have been a stay at home dad.” as much as he expected a snarky remark, all Lloyd got was a genuine smile. 

“You know, that’s really wholesome. And hey, maybe it's not too late for that. You could find the right person, settle down, hang up the uniform and get a nice house somewhere.” 

The more he let the idea sink in the more Lloyd liked it. Imagine him, Lloyd Garmadon, several times hero of the masses raising a small family somewhere peaceful and remote. He could picture it. Two or three kids, a spouse to live with. Every day could be peaceful, just cleaning, cooking, taking care of his kids. Raising kids is where the idea had come from in the first place when Lloyd thought back on it. 

He could give them everything he’d never had as a child. Love, a safe home, plenty of food and toys, and above all else, a parent who actually cared. For as much as Garmadon did care, something always took precedence over Lloyd; conquest, teaching, and now anything under the sun. For as much as Misako claimed to care and want to make up for her mistakes, she still ditched Lloyd at first chance every time. She’d come back for Wu, no hesitation, but her only son? That took a good deal more convincing. 

Continuing the streak of being surprised that night, not only did Lloyd find that he had told all of that to Kasey, but he found that Kasey seemed to actually be listening. His blue eyes were focused intently on Lloyds green ones the whole time. And for a minute, Kasey didn’t say anything. All that any of the general public knew of Lloyd’s past were either vague rumors or what they had all seen Garmadon do. Hearing that, all he could do was sympathize with the warrior sat before him. 

“You know, I get that. My mom never cared for me. She made that clear a long time ago, and you know what, Lloyd?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I don’t mean to offend you, but screw them all. I barely know you, that much is a given seeing as we’ve known each other for just a few hours. Ninja aside, you’re an amazing person, and you deserve better than people like them. You deserve to have that family Lloyd, and I hope whoever you end up with treats you like the treasure you are.” 

That night's theme had definitely become ‘Lloyd surprising himself.’ He had heard similar things before, about deserving love, deserving better. Yet those people never seemed to really understand it, the Ninja certainly didn’t understand how Lloyd felt about his dad. They had this delusion he saw Garmadon as three different people, but that had never been true. Chaotic, good, or evil all Garmadon has ever been to him was Lloyd. 

Wu wouldn’t have anything short of Lloyd loving his mother. Even as she avoided and ignored him all his uncle could see was a hard-working woman making tough choices. No amount of talking had ever gotten through any of their skulls that no matter what his parents said, they had deeply hurt Lloyd, in ways he often just avoided. 

Yet here was this stranger, a man Lloyd knew for less than three hours understanding him completely. And in return, Lloyd could say he understood Kasey. Maybe it was just infatuation or even desperation, but Lloyd decided to do one more thing he hadn’t expected. He asked Kacey on a real date, offered his phone number. Kasey accepted, and it was then that Lloyd offered to take him home. 

Ruining the somber mood had been all too much fun for the Green Ninja. He took Kasey home on his elemental dragon, the blue-eyed man cheering the entire time. The flight was short, Kasey raving about how cool the dragon is as they approached the front door.   
“Wow! Well, thank you, Lloyd.” Kasey was on his porch, for the first time that night standing in clear light. He was stunning to Lloyd at that moment. Soft face, brown hair pulled back, and apparently he had stunning blue highlights. Lloyd was impressed, he hadn’t seen someone as this beautiful in so long it caught him for a moment. 

“Erm… for what, exactly?” 

“For giving me an amazing birthday.” and with that, Kasey went inside, waving bye. Lloyd felt high as he went home to the monastery, the half-hour flight going by in what felt like seconds. He was elated and thoroughly surprised-out for one lifetime. 

That night, while Lloyd slept, he dreamt great things. Quaint home in the woods, somewhere cozy and remote. Three lively children at play, while Lloyd went about a simple life. At the end of each day his spouse would return. It was a dream he’s had before. Only one difference was present this time around, as now Lloyd was able to picture his spouse. A whole head taller than himself, brown hair with faded blue, kind sapphire eyes. He felt hopeful that he and Kasey could build this life together.

**Author's Note:**

> I might make a part two. Honestly, who knows what I'll do by this point lol


End file.
